Romano x Reader (My neighbour, Lovino)

It was late into the night; the only current light source for the neighbourhood was the street-lamps that loomed above you. The cool air brushed against your skin, making you shiver and cling onto your knees even tighter. Your blank (insert colour) eyes continued to stare into space. You felt humiliated, pathetic and desolate. There you were, dressed in a mere pair of shorts and a childish t-shirt, sitting by yourself at the dirty road curb a few kilometres away from home while self-loathing.

What happened? Well, it all started a few months ago when your parents would get into constant fights. It began with small bickering, then insulting, afterwards gradually building up into vicious arguments. Naturally, they hated being mad at each other, therefore they had to channel their resentment towards somebody else. Lucky for you- you were the only child. It also didn't help that you were becoming more passionate in art, which was something they did not approve of.

They scoffed at how much time you would put into your artwork, they hated how you were slowly shattering their dreams of their daughter becoming a successful accountant or lawyer, and they despised how you plainly couldn't see things the same way they did.

So overall, the frustration that was accumulating in them made it easier for your parents to see your faults. A little thing could trigger a bomb within them, just like what happened that night when your parents called you to their room for a simple chitchat...

"So ____, have you finished all your homework?"
You looked at your mother and replied, "Not yet..."
Your hot-tempered mother slammed the book she was reading onto the coffee table, whipping her head to glare at you.
"What?!" she growled, "What did you spend your entire weekend doing?! Drawing those silly mangas?"
Your father sighed, folding his arms while shaking his head at you.
"We just got a two-week assignment on Friday," you said in your defence, your body stiffened as you felt tension build up in the atmosphere.
"Lies!" she snapped, "You're just a lazy bugger, always making excuses!"
The insults and accusations continued, getting increasingly personal and off-topic. You hung your head down, feeling blood rise to your cheeks. She was practically roaring at you, while you squirmed as far back into the seat as possible. You didn't dare to say anything more, you were their child, and you had to give them your respect.

Feeling tears threatening to spill out of your eyes, you quietly excused yourself and rushed to your bedroom, locking the door while trying to calm yourself down. You hated being so vulnerable and feeling so stupid. As you squeezed your stuff toy for comfort, a loud thud against your door made you jump.
"You ungrateful child! Go dig your own grave!"

You knew that she didn't really mean it- her anger was causing her to say those words. Nevertheless, they still stung.

You hugged your toy closer to your heart, fighting back the tears. All you wanted was to be out of their presence, and you couldn't even get that in your own room.
'What I need is to get some fresh air and clear my head,' you thought to yourself. You waited for a while, and once you heard the lights switch off in your parents' room, you opened the window and climbed out, and that was how you got to where the story began.

--

You heard frantic footsteps run closer to you, the figure huffing and panting away.
"Idiota! I've been looking-a all over for you!" a familiar voice spoke. You turned your head and gave him a sad smile, making him freeze abruptly as he witnessed your depressed state.

Lovino Vargas was your Italian neighbour who had moved in two years ago with his younger brother and grandfather. When you first met him, he was nice and friendly towards you, but bitter towards his brother, Feliciano. It didn't take you long to see how differently he acted towards beautiful girls, and how rude he could really be (normally towards boys). However, the more you got to know him, the more he allowed you to see the bad traits he hid from girls, for example his clumsiness, his stubbornness, and his cowardly attitude. Strangely it made him seem more charming, realistic and even adorable to you, and soon enough, you found yourself developing feelings for him.

Although he has never said it to you before, he felt the same way too. He loved how you were not just a pretty face, but you had a sweet and caring personality too. Sure, you could be rather odd at times, but that made you unique from the others. Plus, the fact that his flaws did not push you away made you the only girl he felt so normal and comfortable around. He may not clearly show it, but the potty-mouthed boy was always looking out for you. The term "idiota" was practically his endearing way of calling you "bella". Whenever you were sick, he would march over to your house right after school and make sure you were okay; or if you were angry, he would gladly lend you an ear to vent out to. In other words, he would go through great lengths just to see you smile that bright grin he loved.

"Lovino, why are you here?" you asked as you stared straight ahead again.
He sat down next to you and said, "I heard-a shouting, and when-a you weren't in-a your room, you made-a me freaking worried, you stupid ragazza!"

It was true. The second the noises of the commotion went into Lovino's ears, he sat up from lazing on the couch. He could hear your mother yelling and grew very concerned; he knew how scary she could get. He waited for a while before sneaking out of the house and over to next door, specifically the side where your bedroom was located. He tried calling you, but you didn't answer. He could, however, hear the buzzing of your cellphone. Having no other option, he climbed up into your bedroom, cursing while doing so. The two of you were so close that you taught him how to do that, but it required physical strength that the lazy teenager didn't like using. He frowned when you were nowhere to be found there, and promptly took off into the dark neighbourhood in search for you.

"What's-a going on?" he said in a slightly demanding tone.
You absentmindedly picked up a pebble and threw it across the road, shooting him another question, "Where's Feli?"
He grunted for he wasn't a patient boy.
"____, don't-a change the subject."
You sighed and persisted, "It's nothing- I'm fine."
He stared at you hard, obviously not believing your reply. Yet, when he saw the solemn look you had, his greenish-amber eyes couldn't help but soften. Why were you still so beautiful when you were sad? Feeling him watch you, you glanced at his direction. That made him blush and swiftly turn away, his nose up in the air. He shot one more look at you, hating how he too was getting upset by seeing you like that.
"____..." he said. The gentle, out-of-character tone he used when he said your name made your heart skip a beat. It was the genuine and soft side he rarely dared to show. You didn't want to share the burden with him, but the pleading look on his face was melt-worthy, making you feel so cared about. So you decided to tell him.
"My parents... We... got into a fight."

You explained the situation to him, while Lovino listened attentively. It was amazing how comfortable he could make you feel around him.
"(…) I know they didn't really mean to be that harsh, but I just can't take it anymore. I'm not a stupid punching bag!" you ranted out. You turned to face Lovino when you were done, yet immediately bursting out into a fit of giggles as you saw the unusually serious expression he had, and the odd curl sticking out on top made it look even weirder.

"W-what? What is-a so funny, damn it!" he ordered, getting extremely flustered. This unfortunately made you laugh even more. His scowl slowly faded away once he realized how happy you were being, despite the fact that you were laughing at him. Soon, your laughter subsided and you gave him a warm smile.

"I'm sorry, you looked pretty funny just now," you said, your usual perky personality coming back. He muttered something in Italian, pushing some of your (insert colour) locks behind your ear. You grinned, biting your lower lip as you admired his handsome features. Feeling bold, you rested your head on his shoulder, instantly feeling his body go stiff.

Lovino was certain that his entire face was red like a fire hydrant, as even though he had flirted with many girls, he had never felt the same way towards them as he did towards you. He didn't know a thing about what to do with a crush! He began to notice how well you fitted into the crook of his neck and decided to follow his instincts. He grumbled first, and then finally relaxed. He rested his head on top of yours, able to inhale the sweet scent of your shampoo.

"Lovi, I know I was overreacting and being too sensitive… I'm sorry for making you hear all that," you paused before saying the next part affectionately, a smile never leaving your lips, "You're the greatest guy I've ever met."

The Italian blushed even deeper at your compliment, tentatively putting an arm around your smaller frame. The words "mi piaci"* were so close to spilling out of his mouth, but he resisted. He knew that now wasn't the right time for something like that to be thrown at you. You had other problems to deal with afterall.
So instead he put on the typical frown he wore on his face, scoffing while saying, "Idiota, I'll-a always be-a there for you."

So, the two of you sat by the road curb, snuggled up against each other. Lovino would pretend to be interested in something else, however occasionally sneaking a glance towards your peaceful face. It was at that moment that he became confident that one day, he would confess to you and you would finally be together.